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ECOLOGY OF SOULS: Volume Two

To directly purchase an autographed copy, click here.

Horse & Barrel (2022)

 

VOLUME TWO (print)

 

EBOOK (Vols. One & Two)

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From altered states of consciousness and hauntings to ancient civilizations and UFOs, paranormal phenomena seem to share a common suite of attributes. But why do these disparate fields have so much in common?

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The answer may have been hiding in plain sight: death, the greatest mystery of all, binds together the entirety of the supernatural.

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Drawing upon a wealth of supporting evidence from his first entry, Joshua Cutchin concludes Ecology of Souls with an exploration of how death manifests both across the UFO phenomenon as well as in sightings of cryptids, those animals whose very existence conventional science denies. A shocking possibility reveals itself: that supposed "extraterrestrials" may be more invested in souls than spaceships... and, in fact, may not be so alien after all.
 

 

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PRAISE FOR ECOLOGY OF SOULS:

“Those of us who work in these strangest of folklores work with conjectures, not certainties, with intuitions, not conclusions. Still, there are particularly gifted writers whom I profoundly trust to guide me. Joshua Cutchin is among them. Here are yet two more big books from him on a global comparison that many of us have made but no one has pursued to the literal ends of the earth, as he has here—that between the world of the dead and the world of the UFO. Please read these books. And please recognize that when we can only speak of these glowing presences as ‘threats’ in the sky, we might as well be trying to shoot down souls. Good luck with that.”
 
- Jeffrey J. Kripal, J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Religion, Associate Dean of the School of Humanities, Rice University

“In Ecology of Souls, Joshua Cutchin makes the case for an ecological perspective on the paranormal, with the processes of death and dying seen as essential clues for unravelling its mysteries. Paranormal entities of all different kinds are conceived as psychopomps performing ancient cosmic functions—ushering souls in their transition to the other side. By applying comparative methods—examining patterns across different cultural and folkloric traditions, and exploring commonalities between experiential narratives—Cutchin builds an argument for the centrality of death in all manner of paranormal experiences. This book is a bold and innovative contribution to Fortean research and scholarship, and a kaleidoscopic expedition into the wilds of the paranormal ecosystem.”

- Jack Hunter, PhD, editor of Greening the Paranormal: Exploring the Ecology of Extraordinary Experience


“In a world where there are an infinite amount of questions, Joshua Cutchin has some of the answers! He offers a refreshing look into the concept of death and paranormal experiences through a fascinating lens while going back to our cultural lore. Whether you are curious or a skilled anomalous researcher, this book should be a must-add to any library.” 

– Alex Matsuo, founder and director of Association of Paranormal Study

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“While many wait for disclosure, Joshua Cutchin offers us two volumes of revelation - delving into a rich treasury of global traditions exploring the borderland of archetypes where death dances among spirits and the sky fills with a phantasmagoria of flying saucers.” 
 

- David Metcalfe, scholar in digital residence, The Windbridge Institute

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"Joshua Cutchin’s new book Ecology of Souls: A New Mythology of Death & the Paranormal is a combination of 'I knew that' and 'How did I not know that?' for me. It seemed that rather than being a rare and ephemeral thing, that placing the UFO experience in the context of something eventually encountered by everyone, namely death, that the seemingly inexplicable is almost normalized… Josh took that concept and unfolded it into a two-volume, encyclopedic work that will be a reference for years and probably decades to come.”

 

- Greg Bishop, author of Project Beta

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"Joshua Cutchin has published a very important work! This is a powerful collection, and there is a magical richness within this comprehensive set of ideas. Recent authors and ancient lore are brought together in a way that forces us to confront what it means to be a thoughtful person. The mythology around death is hauntingly interwoven through everything. I am truly blown away by the depth and scope of what he’s accomplished. I recommend these three of these books with all the gusto I can humanly summon!"

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- Mike Clelland, author of The Messengers

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"There's so much here. It's not just ghosts, though of course, they're there. OBEs, NDEs, psychopomps, tricksters, The Wild Hunt, black dogs, Old Gods, fairies, Bigfoot, weird lights, birds, tiny winged souls, shamanism, animism, monism, UFO's, aliens and SO MUCH MORE! (Seriously, so much more. The research is in depth and thorough—Josh brings the receipts. He ain't just making stuff up here.)... if you, like me, were ever the sort of person to notice threads that bound all sorts of seemingly disparate paranormal experiences together, then you have to read this book."


- Barbara Fisher, host of Six Degrees of John Keel podcast

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"Ecology of Souls provides a really unique, exhaustive and comprehensive treatment of Forteana. I’ll even add the word scholarly to the mix…  It’s a vast landscape of innumerable puzzle pieces carefully fitted together and presented for the reader’s benefit… Whether you’re just taking your first baby steps in this alternative approach or you’ve been at it already for a pretty good while, Joshua’s volumes belong in your home library, both for relevant and handy references and for ideas, concepts and information you may not have previously considered or known anything about. This is a treasure trove of information."

 

- Brent Raynes, author of John Keel: The Man, The Myths, and The Ongoing Mysteries

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"Once in a great while, a book appears that screams 'instant classic' from every page. A foundational text that is destined to become part of the canon. It's been quire a while since we've seen such a thing from the world of Fortean or Magonian studies, but now the long wait is over... Josh Cutchin has delivered Ecology of Souls, a massive, encyclic work that takes on the world of High Weirdness with the kind of cogency and rigor we haven't seen in the benighted field for a very long time."

 

- Chris Knowles, The Secret Sun Blog
 

"A book I think very highly of... [Ecology of Souls] might be the most important book of 2022 in the paranormal field... There's probably nobody writing on the planet at the moment who does a better job of folkloric comparison in the Fortean field than Joshua."

 

- Dr. Dean Bertram, Mysterious Library

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"I strongly praise the work of Joshua Cutchin... He's the first and only one who's done the first comprehensive look at this...
Ecology of Souls is, again in my opinion, the most important book in Ufology in decades."

 

- Walter Bosley, author of Shimmering Light and the Secret Missions series

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"Josh goes through the earliest ancient records and contemporaneous stories of those who have experienced the ineffable, and he’s brought us a cohesive 'Everything Theory' that rings true, and follows evidence as well. A deep, thought-provoking read... It’s a mightily-researched work, and his sources are irrefutable. It’s a journey worth your time, a book of Majics and Science. Alchemy achieved!"

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- Earl Grey, MUFON State Director of Southern California

 

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